Seed planter



Dec. 22, 1953 c JOHNSON I 2,663,462

SEED PLANTER Filed July 19. 1950 Wu @umrm ,6

IN V EN TOR.

Patented Dec. 22, 1953 I SEED PLANTER Glarence J. Johnson, Holmen, Wis., assignor to Outers Laboratories, Inc., Onalaska, Wis.,'ac0r-' notation of Wisconsin Application July 19, 1950, Serial No. 174,759 3 Claims. ,(01. 222-167) T is ent n. re a es ra y to i pm merits in the art of sowing seeds'in gardens or the like, and relatesnidre specificallyto improvements in -the coiisijrfiction and operationof mechanical seeders having relatively limited capacity. v

The primary object of my present invention is td provide an preved mechanical seeder which re im n 'andeonipact in construction, conveniently manipiilable, and highly effective and economicahin' u'se When planting 'i'ela ively small plots such as vegetable and flower gardens, it is exceedingly desirable wee able" to deposit the seeds in regular rows and in predetermined 'quantities, in order to insure attractive appearance of the'final garden and to'eliminate excessive 'waste of seed. While numerous "se cal'ledgarden seeders have heretofore been proposeda'nd some have been commercialized; mos efthese prior devices were either too complicated and therefore diflicult to manufaotureand to' manipulate, or they could not be readily adjusted to produce variable performance and to avoid undesirable seed 'waste. Then too, the priorgarden seedin'g units were cumbersome and rlativelypostly so that none have become very populanwith the trade.

' It is therefore as'impma m 'object o'f'the present invention to provide an 'improvedgar'den seeding unit which meets all. of theabove' mentioned requirements mest'effe'cthe manner and which may be manipulated by a novice to produce excellent-"reg ts.

Another importanto ggect of this invention is to provide, a light durable seeder constructed primarily of Sheet'metaI and at moderate cost with the aid ofpunches and diesQand which may be quickly and conveniently loaded and adjusted to economize on seed.

A further importantpbject of the invention is to provide. 2 Sim but durable seeding device which is operable. ther by hand or power, and all parts of which be readily assembled or dismantled for inspection and clea' ning Still another important object of my invention is to provide an improved. portable seedin semblage which will function to'effec'tively plant various kinds ofseeds and wherein the seeds may be uniformly dep'oisitedin neatrows of any desired configuration;

' These and'other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

A clear sam in 9.? its impr ved features constituting'my present invention and of the construction and operation of a typical garden seeder embodying the same, may be had by referring to the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the various views.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one of my improved seeding units showing the same in action;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged central transverse vertical section through the unit of Fig. 1 showing the internal structure thereof; and

Fig. 3 is a similarly enlarged fragmentary parts sectional top view of the'same seeding unit.

The gist of my present invention is the provision of a light butdurablemanually controllable seeding unit comprising primarily a guiding handle having at its lower end a disk'provided with a seed supply and discharge opening disposed eccentrically of the central disk axis, adjustable means for varyingthe effective area. of the discharge opening, afrustro-conical seed container journalled for rotation about the central axis of the disk and bein g'formed to direct the seed toward the delivery opening, and a ground engaging wheel for rotating the container whenever the wheel is advanced alongthe ground by the handle. While the improvement has been illustrated and described as having been embodied in an assemblage of small capacity constructed primarily of sheet metal and adapted to be both manually guided and propelled, it is not my desire or intention to thereby unnecessarily restrict the utility of-the novel features; and it is also contemplated that specific descriptive terms used herein be given the broadest possible interpretation consistent with the disclosure.

Referring to the drawing, theimproved portable garden seeder shown therein, comprises in general an elongated normally inclined handle 5 having a gripping portion 6 at its upper end and a disk '1 fixedly secured to its lower and which disk is provided with a seed supply and discharge opening 8 ordinarily disposed beneath and eccentrically of the central'disk axis; a stub shaft or axle 9 permanently secured to the disk centrally thereof and having a feed control plate i0 swingably adjustably associated with its fixed end and cooperating with the seed supply and discharge opening 8 formed in the disk l; a cupshaped seed receptacle or container I I journalled for rotation upon the free end of the fixed stub axle '9 and having a taperedperipheral wall 12 provided with an annular series of helicallydi'sposed inward projections l3 for directing the seed toward the seed supply and discharge opening 8: and a ground engaging wheel [4 secured to the container end wall 15 coaxially of the axle 9 and disk I and having thereon an annular series of peripheral spuds IS.

The handle 5 may be formed of wood or other light but rigid material, while the disk 1, plate In, container ll and wheel I4 are preferably formed of rust resistant sheet metal with the aid of punches and dies, and the stub shaft 9 is made of round metal stock. In order to firmly attach the handle 5 to the upright disk I, the latter may be provided with an integral socket l8, and the flat feed control plate Ill may be swingably adjustably secured to the axle 9 by a screw 19 and spring washer 20. The plate ill is also preferably provided with a radial edge 2! which is cooperable with calibrations or indicia 22 on the disk I so as to permit'convenient and 23 at the joint, and the flange 26 on the disk I not only stiffens this disk but also protects the sliding seal afforded by the container flange 25 coacting with the disk I. The wheel Id of the seeding unit may be guided by the handle 5 to follow either straight or curved furrows or paths and the functioning of the device is plainly visible to the operator.

From the foregoing detailed description of the construction and operation of the typical unit, it will be apparent that I have in fact provided an improved seeder which is simple and durable in construction and highly efiicient in operation especially for sowing garden plots or the like with seed having varying characteristics. The improved seeding units may be manufactured of sheet metal with the aid of punches and dies at relatively low cost, in various sizes if desired, and

accurate setting of this feed plate II) in any de-.

sired position, and a screw driver may be utilized to effect release and adjustment of the screw l9 so as to facilitate refilling of the container II with a fresh supply of seed 23 although normal adjustment of the plate It! may be made without the aid of tools.

The sheet metal receptacle or container t I is formed as a cup having its bottom journalled upon the axle shaft 9 and its irustro-conical wall i2 provided with an integral annular brim flange 25 snugly but slidably coacting with the inner face of the disk I. The periphery of the disk 1 may also be provided with an integral flange 2'5 overlapping the container flange 25, and the feed projections l3 are punched out of the sheet metal which forms the tapered wall 12 of the cup. The bottom or end wall I5 of the container it may be secured to the adjacent side wall of the wheel M by means of cleats 21, and a second screw 28 which is accessible through an opening 29 in the opposite wall of the sheet metal wheel It serves to hold the seed container H and the wheel 14 upon the free end of the stub axle 9.

When the improved seeder unit has been properly constructed and assembled as above described, the receptacle or container H should be supplied with a batch of seed 23 through the supply and discharge opening 8 whereupon the feed plate It should be set so that its edge 2: will be alined with the marking or indicia 22 corresponding to the type or kind of seed to be sowed. The unit may then be set upon the ground with the handle 5 inclined and the disk 1' disposed approximately upright as shown in Fig. l, whereupon the handle grip 5 may be utilized to advance the wheel l4 along a furrow or other marker for the rows of seeds. During such advancement of the unit, the tapered container wall i2 will cooperate with the revolving series of helical projections l3 to feed the seed 23 toward the supply and discharge opening 8 of the disk I, and depending upon the setting of the plate l0, more or less seed 23 will dribble through the opening 8 and will be uniformly deposited in a row upon the ground or into the furrow.

In order to gain access to the interior or the container I I for inspection or cleaning, it is only necessary to release the single screw 28 through the opening 29 thereby permitting free removal of the wheel It and container cup. Reassembly of the unit may be just as quickly effected, and the screw 19 may also be manipulated in order to increase or decrease the friction between the plate 10 and the outside of the flat disk I. The cup flange snugly coacts with the inner face of the flat disk I so as to prevent escape of seeds the few sturdy parts can be readily assembled or dismantled for inspection and cleaning. The feed regulating plate i0 may be quickly adjusted to insure accurate performance and to permit fresh seed 23 to be inserted within the container II, and is effectively held in various positions of adjustment by friction. The frustro-conical shape of the container l l and the helical projections 13 cause the mass of seeds 25 to be constantly agitated and uniformly fed toward the supply and discharge opening 8 of the disk 1, and the flanges 25, 26 provide an effective and well protected seal for preventing undesirable escape of seeds. While the wheel I4 is preferably formed of sheel metal, any other suitable rotary disc-like support maybe substituted therefor, and the invention has proven highly satisfactory and successful in actual use.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit this invention to the exact details of construction and operation of the typical seeding unit herein specifically shown and described, for various modifications within the scope of the appended claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a seed planter, a propelling and guiding handle having an approximately upright annular disk fixedly secured to its lower end and provided with a rigid central axle extending away from one side, said disk also being provided with a seed supply and discharge opening below said axle, a feed regulating plate adjustably suspended from said axle and coacting with said opening, a rotary frustro-conical seed container surrounding said axle and having its larger end sealingly engageable with said disk and its opposite smaller end journalled on the end of said axle remote from the disk, the frustro-conical bounding wall of said container being tapered to direct the seed toward said discharge opening as the container revolves and said regulating plate being removable from said opening to effect admission of a fresh supply of seed to said container, and a ground engaging wheel secured to the smaller end of said container and also being journalled for rotation upon said remote axle end.

2. In a seed planter, a propelling and guiding handle having an approximately upright annular sheet-metal disk fixedly secured to its lower end and provided with a rigid central axle extending away from one side, said disk also being provided with a seed supply and discharge opening below said axle, a sheet-metal feed regulating plate adjustably suspended from said axle and coacting with said opening, a rotary frustroconical sheet-metal seed container surrounding said axle and having its larger end sealingly engageable with said disk and its opposite smaller end journalled on the end of said axle remote from the disk, the frustro-conical bounding wall of said container being tapered to direct the seed toward said discharge opening as the container revolves and said regulating plate being removable from said opening to efiect admission of a fresh supply of seed to said container, and a sheet-metal ground engaging wheel secured to the smaller end of said container and also being journalled for rotation upon said remote axle end.

3. In a seed planter, a, propelling and guiding handle having an approximately upright annular disk fixedly secured to its lower end and provided with a rigid central axle extending away from one side, said disk also being provided with a seed supply and discharge opening below said axle, a feed regulating plate adjustably suspended from said axle and coacting with said opening, a rotary frustro-conical seed container surrounding said axle and having its larger end sealingly engageable with said disk and its opposite smaller end journalled on the end of said axle remote from the disk, the frustro-conical bounding wall of said container having thereon an annular series of integral inwardly extending helical projections and being tapered to direct the seed along said projections toward said discharge opening as the container revolves, and a ground engaging wheel rigidly secured to the smaller end of said container and also being journalled for rotation upon said remote axle end. CLARENCE J. JOHNSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 426,993 Goldsmith Apr. 29, 1890 1,474,184 Warren Nov. 13, 1923 2,204,245 Bower June 11, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 585,612 Great Britain Feb. 13, 1947 

